At 2300 hours on September 7 at nightfall, the 2022 Qatar
World Cup
The Asian qualifiers are in full swing, with China hosting Japan in the second round of Group B of the third stage of the 12-team tournament at the Khalifa International Stadium in faraway Doha, Qatar. In the first half, Japan's star Isao Osako scored in the 40th minute to open the door to victory for Japan, and at halftime, Japan held a slim 1-0 lead over China.
Following a 0-3 defeat in the opening match against Australia
national soccer team
Quickly adjusting his tactics, head coach Li Tie decisively lined up a tight defensive strategy of 5 defenders, intending to use defensive counterattacks as a breakthrough. However, throughout the first half, Asia's top-ranked Japanese team seemed to master the rhythm of the game and firmly took the initiative.
In the first half.
national soccer team
The possession rate was only 22.5%, while Japan kept China within 30 meters of their own goal and attacked hard. If it wasn't for a little bit of bad luck, Japan would have broken through the Chinese goal. Ei Kukai and Isao Osako hit the post twice and almost made the scoreline worse.
For the Chinese team, the situation on the field was unusually passive, the counterattacking tactics could not be carried out at all, and the players in the midfield and backfield were almost all engaged in clearing and destroying. Throughout the first half, China only had one shot on goal, while Japan had a whopping 14 shots on goal.
